Stock-loading chute



J. R. RAPLEE.

STOCK LOADING CHUTE.

APPLjCATION FILED JUNE 10. 1919.

Puma June 29, 1920.

3 SHEETS-SHEET I.

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fire/"way J. R. RAPLEE.

STOCK LOADING CHUTE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 10. 1919.

3 SHEETSSHEET 2.

if iar'lwys.

J. R. RAPLEE.

STOCK LOADING CHUTE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 10, 1919. 1,345,238. Patented June 29, 1920.

3 SHEETSSHEET 3.

UNITED STATES JOHN B. *mrLEn'or SHELBINA, MIssoUnI.

STOCK-LOADING CHUTE.

Specification of Letters Yatent. Patented J 29 1920 Application filed June 10, 1919. Serial No. 303,034.

To all whom it may concern: Be it known that I, JOHN R. RAPLEE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Shelbina, inthe county of Shelby and State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Stock-Loading Chutes, of-which the following is a specification.

This invention has for itsobject the. pros vision ofinexpensive and eflicient means wherebycattle on other'live stockmay be expeditiously loaded into stock cars or other vehicles, or held while waiting to be so loaded. The invention also seeks to provide an apparatus for the stated purpose whichvmay be quickly and easily adjusted to the varying heights of vehicles and heldin an adjusted position. Other objects of the invention will appear in the course of the following'description, and the invention resides in certain novel features which will be particularly pointed out in the claims following the description.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in whichi q Figure 1 is a side elevation of a chute embodying my improvements arranged in its lowered position Y Fig. 2 is-a plan view of the same; Fig.3 is longitudinal section showing the chuteadjusted so that its front end will "be on a level with'the'floor of the stock car; Fig. 4 is an elevation of the'ffrontvend of the chute;

- the chute;

Fig. 5 is a similar view of the rear end of Figf6 is a detail perspective viewof one of the posts at the rear end of'the chute.

In carrying out myinvention," I employ a pair of runners 1 which may be held in their properspaced relation by cross rods or braces 2 and are tapered or curved, as shown at 3, at their front ends whereby-they may .readily'move over the ground in [order to transport the chute from place to place. At

the rear-ends of-the runners,-I.secure posts4 and the upper ends of these posts. are connected with the runners by braces-5 so that a rigid structure will be provided. The rear ends of the runners may besecured to the lower ends of the posts by bolts or other forms of fasteners,..indicated at 6, but I prefer to employ a connecting rod equal in length' to the width of the apparatus so that a single rod may extend through the posts and runners at both sides of the chute and of upper rails 9 and are pivoted thereto, as

tion to carry the palings and prevent bind- 1 @Fig; 3..

ofand. extendfupwardly and vrearwardly I from the said rails to a drum 15 which is proper engagement between the parts will be efi'ected to prevent the lever merely. turning secure the sametogether. The connection should, however, belong enough to serve also as a pivot for the lower rails? forming. a part of the frame, of the chute proper. These rails are arranged in pairs and between the rails of;each pair, I pivotally attach thev lower ends of palings 8 which extend upwardly between the members of pairs indicated at 10, therear ends of said rails 9 being'pivotally supported upon bolts or rodsll in the posts 4. It will be readily understood that by this arrangement the rails may swing in a vertical, plane about their pivotal supports and the palings will always remain 1n a vertical position sothat they Wlll effectually restrain the animal and the chute may be easily adjusted so as to have its. front loading end. on thesame level as the floor of the stock car or truck into which the animals are to be loaded. l Spacers 12 may be "provided between the rails at suitable lntervals so asto hold them in proper relaing of the palings between thev rails. The iioor of the chute consists of timbers extending transversely between and supported by the rails 7 and upon the said timbers. atintervalsthrough the. length ,ofthe chute, 1 prov de 1n any convenient manner cleats 13 so that secure foot rests will beprovided for theanimals and they will not tend to slip when the floor is inclined, as shown in To efl'ectthe vertical adjustment; ofthe chute, I provide cables or other flexible supports 14 which are secured at their lower ends-to the rails 7 near the front ends theremounted between the posts 4-andcarried by ashaft '16 journaled in said posts. A lever or other form; offhandle ,17' is provided to fit upon the end ofthezsha'ft16 so that the necessary rotary motionmay be imparted to the said shaft and'the end of theshaft is preferably angular in cross section to fit an angular opening in the lever, so that the upon the aft without imparting motion thereto. A'toothed whe el18 is fixed von the shaft and this wheel is. adapted to be engaged by a locking rod 19 whichis slidably mounted in theposts 4 immediately adjacent .the drum, thesaid rodbeing provided with i suitable stops to impinge against the post and thereby limit its .endwise movement. When the drum is to be rotated so as to wind the cables 14 or permit them to unwind, the locking rod is shifted so that its end will be disposed at the inner side of the toothed wheel 18. After the chute has been brought into the desired position androtat'ion of the drum is to be prevented, the rod is then slid outwardly endwise so that its end *will engage between adjacent teeth of 't'he wheel 18 and consequently lock the wheel against turning movement and-therefore, hold the druln-in the position "in which it has been "set. fThe stops 'upon-thelo'ciring rod 19 may conveniently be cotter pins inserted through openings provided therefor in the rod, as shown'in Fig. '5, this arrangement permittingathe rod to be inserted "in the openings in the'posts 4 before the stops are 'applied and, consequently, enabling me to use'the openings "in the/posts as guides to prevent the rod having anylateral movement so that its engagement with the toothed wheel willbe "certain. V V

*On'the inner opposed faces of the posts 4, I provide guides, shown 'in Fig.1 *6, which may consist "of parallel cleats 21 secured to the inner faces of the posts in spaced relation whereby a vertical groove "22 is provided "to receive the edges of an end gate23. This end gate may be of any. desired construction and 'is illustrated as consisting of cross bars carried 'by vertical connecting strips 24 and having their ends-engaged; in the grooves 22so that it mayread'il'y move vertically. It will be readily understood that this gate is to be raised-when an animal isto "be driven into the chute andjimmediatel y lowered after the animal'is in the chute so "as to prevent backing "therefrom.

The front ends of the rails 7 and 9-:arc 'pivotally attached to posts 25 which; may be of the 'sa me form and dimensions as "the posts 4 and upon'the front sides ofthese posts '25, 1 secure transverse sills 26" wh ch are arranged in pairs and held in proper spaced relation b spacers'27 as "will be readilyunderstoodf he sills may be connected 'by'braces 28 so as to constitutea rigid'frame,

and, between the-lower sills, pivotally mount the .lower .endsofdoors or stanchions 29 which "have their upper edges'betweenthe upper sills 26 so that they will-be. held against forward or rearward movement. "Springs30 are the lower sills attached to the outer ends of 26 andto the outer'edgesof "the stanc hions or "doors 29 so as'to exert a constant tension on the said doors and thereby tendtb swing them transversely of the chute so thatthey will be separated or in openf'position. ,The-inner -edges of these doors :or st nchions are-"provided Wltll 'notches"31* of various dimensions, the notches shown in Fig. 4. To retain the doors in their closed position against the action of the springs'30, I secure to the upper edges thereof cables 32 which'eXtend-overguide pulleys 33 carried-by the upper sills 26 and-are trained around a drum 34: secured upon a shaft 35 which is journaled in-the 'upper'ends of the posts 25. ted to *theend of the shaft 35 so as to rotate the same and a locking rod 37, similar in all respects tothe locking rod 19, is s'lidably mounted in the posts 25 below the shaft 35 to engage the toothed wheeli36 and' ho'ldthe same and the drum '34 against movement when the doors are closed. While I; have illustrateda separate toothed wheel on each of the shafts I6 and 35, it will be understood that a single operating handle and toothed wheel may be employed to "operate both sl'1afts,--'bei=ng fitted upon the shafts "inter A toothed wheel 36 is fit changeably so that it may 'be eas ily applied 1 an inexpensive stock loading and holdi'ng.

chute which maybe'readily moved .from

place to place" so' that live stock mayfbe loaded successively-into all-the cars df a train. The rear posts,*'the runners, and -the braces connecting the same, constitute a rigid supporting frame for the chute .proper :and the chu telproper may be readily brought 1 into any desired inclination so that while its rear end' will remain at the :ground level its 'front end will be on the level ofthe car floor. Moreover the animal will be positively held from and will be held against premature escape from thechute so; that he 'willrnot be apt ;to beinjured if-the car shouldmove beforethe chuteisproperly adjusted. The

chute may be. adjusted "with the animal therein to accommodate the'height-of-rthe car fioor. -The apparatus may be-easilycon-f in the chute' so 'ithat he cannot bac'k thereanimal may be driven into thechute while it is lowered and afterv he has b'eensecured the structed and readily operated and its con struction ris such-that'it is not apt to :getout of order and the icost' ofmaintenance will;

therefore, beslight.

Having: thus 1'. A portable stock-loading chuteficomprising runners, posts erected 'rat the erear 7 described the inventiomuvhat 11s clalmed asnew 1s:

ends of the runners and rigidly c'onnected therewithyupper and lower 'rails pivoted to said posts, a fixed continuous fioor carried by the lower rails, \means connected: to the posts and to the lower rails near the front ends thereof for adjusting the rails and the floor pivotally in a vertical plane, and palings pivotally secured to and extending between the upper and ower rails, the front ends of the rails being free of the runners whereby an open unobstructed space is provided between the lower rails and the runners when the rails and the floor are raised.

2. A portable stock-loading chute comprising a supporting frame consisting of runners, posts at the rear ends of the runners and braces extending between the posts and the runners, the front ends of the runners being free and clear, upper and lower, rails pivoted to the posts at'their rear ends, said rails being arranged at the sides of the frame, a continuous fixed floor carried by the lower rails, a drum mounted upon the upper ends of said posts,'cab1es wound on V the drum and secured to the lower rails near the front ends thereof, and palings pivoted to and extending between the rails at each side of the frame.

3. A portable stock-loading chute comprising a supporting frame, a chute pivotally mounted at its rear end in said frame for movement in a vertical plane while maintaining the perpendicularity of its ends, the front end of the chute being free, a drum mounted on the frame at the rear end thereof and above the chute, a cable connection between the drum and the free end of the chute, a toothed wheel connected with the drum, a locking rod slidably mounted in the frame to engage said wheel to hold the same and the drum against rotation, and stops on said rod interiorly of the frame.

In testimon whereof I aifix ling signature.

J HN R. RAPLE [1 s.] 

